If walls could talk, Melissa Leong’s 1915 Edwardian terrace would tell the esteemed writer, food critic and television host: you’ve earned this.
“Not a day goes by that I don’t sit in my house and tell myself, ‘You did this – you made it for yourself,’” says Leong, who invited marie claire Lifestyle into her eclectic sanctuary in Melbourne’s inner city for an exclusive cover shoot.
“I never dreamt that I could create a situation where this is my reality.”
With an impressive roster of freelance gigs under her belt (including an in-conversation with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver at the Sydney Opera House late last year, and a starring role in SBS documentary The Hospital: In the Deep End ), as well as her hit show MasterChef: Dessert Masters, Leong deserves to have her cake and eat it too.
So, on a sleepy corner in Melbourne’s leafy Carlton North, she carved out her own indulgent slice.
The brief was simple: “It needed to be my Barbie dream starter home,” explains Leong.
“I purchased the house in mid-2021. It was a very strange period of time. We were all seeking that little bubble of protection. I was going through a divorce [from former chef Joe Jones] and so I really wanted to find a place that felt like a protective cocoon. I wanted it to be private, quiet and a beautiful place that could be just mine and that I would feel safe in.”
“I really wanted a place that felt like a protective cocoon”
With heritage bones that had previously been renovated by a former owner and opulently high wood-panelled ceilings there was plenty to love, but it was the home’s history of healing that won over Leong.
It turned out it wasn’t the first time the Federation-era terrace had opened its doors to a woman seeking refuge. Leong says she felt instantly welcomed by the terrace’s allure as a private retreat – away from the busyness of her public life.
“All signs pointed to yes,” she recalls. “From the moment I walked in it felt warm, cozy and safe. The children of a previous owner chose gifts for me when I moved in: a rose quartz and a silver unicorn, which I feel is quite symbolic. I’ve lifted myself out of some pretty dark and difficult things to get to a place where I feel like when I shut the door this is mine. I wish that feeling for everybody.”
Teaming up the some of Melbourne’s best design minds, including Brahman Perera and Pascale Gomes-McNabb, as well as Anna Murphy and Michael Khalil (from Lygon St Nursery) for landscaping, the home’s eclectic, textural and punchy aesthetic is a playful lesson in colouring outside of the lines.
“The starting point for the design was formulating who I wanted to be in this house and what I wanted to bring out of it,” she explains.
“I wanted it to have touch points of friends, pieces of art and influence, so that I could look at each corner and feel like I was among my friends. Every single piece in my home reminds me of a person and brings a bit of joy.”
If a piece is powerful enough to make you feel something, that’s art to me”
While the kitchen and dining room are obviously sacred spaces to Leong, she made a conscious decision not to centre the kitchen as the heart of her new home.
She was adamant this not be an entertainer’s house, preferring instead that it play host to small group gatherings, where she can share important stories and intimate moments over champagne and snacks. In doing so, Melissa Leong has not only created a home that invites meaningful connection, but an important space to heal.
Melissa Leong’s Guide To Melbourne
Restaurant: “Whether you sit outside and take in the romance of Rathdowne Village’s tree-lined streets or cosy up inside, Carlton North’s Florian is the [epitome] of a neighbourhood eatery that is chic and charming.”
Café: ” I always take friends from out of town to Monforte Viennoiserie for expertly crafted croissants and other flaky, buttery pastry gems. Monforte has developed a cult following – and rightly so.”
Bar: “Gerald’s Bar is a true hospitality institution that offers good times, always. The warm wooden interior is a comforting place to pull up a chair at the bar, or find a dark corner on a hot date. Whether it’s a solo martini and a tin of cracking anchovies or a long dinner, do it at Gerald’s.”
Fashion: ” The circular fashion economy is a great thing, and At Love It Longer you’ll find a regularly refreshed selection of designer clothes and accessories. Shopping in store while being plied with espresso and biscotti (from Biscotteria, the shop below them) is a true Melbourne experience.”
See: “I’m a huge fan of Fitzroy gallery Oigall Projects, for accessible, exciting contemporary art.”
Travel: “Darwin has great produce, proximity to incredible landscapes, fishing, art, culture and a connection with land. And if I could choose to live anywhere else in the world it would be Rome, Italy, with its culture, art, food and feeling.”
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